The Psychology of a Bully: A Silent Voice - Therapist Reacts!

[@vickymc9695]

The teacher bullying his students is very typical. It shows that it's a thing he'll allow, but also shows which targets he allows them to go after. Bullying is usually top down

[@merdufer]

The manga did a better job of exploring how Shoko being "too nice" really got on Shoya and Naoka's nerve, and how they misinterpreted her niceness as weakness and hypocrisy. People hate on younger Shoya and Naoka too much, in my opinion. All the main cast were children, even at the very end of the show, and they were all learning to accept their flaws and grow in their own ways. The only real "villain" was the teacher. Instead of helping his students, he watched and did nothing until things went too far, and then he just scapegoated one student for the whole thing.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

To be fair the movie itself is two hours long. They don't have time to cover everything

[@KaitLynnHt]

I haven't gotten a chance to read the manga yet, but I felt like there was so much more to explore. I wish it had been a series.

[@merdufer]

@@veronicapiccinini7956 I loved the movie for what it was. It was what got me into the manga. But you can definitely feel things were left out.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

@@KaitLynnHt Oh you should. There are so many satisfying moments that the movie didn’t show. Speaking of series from manga, have you ever seen “Orange”? It’s another tearjerking story

[@qiimao]

Not all of them! Miki never apologized for anything and doubled down on her mentality of "I didn't actively bully her therefore I'm 100% innocent" It really bothered me that she got to come around the group after not changing or even acknowledging her wrongs at all.

[@SilverWaterlily]

Most people in that classroom were bullies. They were complicit in the bullying and exclusion of Shoko. But when consequences came, Shoya was soley blamed(his bullying being the most overt). Even though the things Shoya did were horrible, it was easy to sympathize with him because he realized the error of his ways. It was even somewhat easy for me to sympathize with Ueno(who seems to be by far the most disliked character by people who watch this movie) because, even though she didn't see herself as a bully, she knew she didn't like Shoko and she knew she wasn't nice to her. The person who bothered me the most was actually Kawai Miki. I couldn't stand that she acted so nice to Shoko's face but was besties with someone who treated her like trash. She saw/heard the bullying and would sometimes tell them to stop, but she would also laugh along too and never made a serious attempt to stop her friends from bullying Shoko. And she stayed friends with the bullies! Then she had the nerve to get defensive and start crying when claims are made that she was a bully too?! 🤚I'm sorry! Maybe it's just because my past experiences, but I'd take someone that hates me to my face over someone who pretends to be nice or care about me but is complicit in my abuse any day of the week. People like that really REALLY bother me.

[@SannaJankarin]

Both characters annoy me a lot.

[@YukiDNDLegends]

This hits home very hard. People encourage bullying by not doing anything and sometimes even blaming the victim a kid I know pretended to be friends with someone I know and he basically talked behind there back and straight out treat them like crap well around others and would often say it wasn't bullying but verbal bullying is still bullying. Well I know I shouldn't let them stay in my head for what they did its very hard not to hate them and wish the worse maybe that's petty or maybe im just generally angry but I don't like when others hurt my friends.

[@dopaminevamp399]

I hate both Ueno and Kawai lol. That's also 'cause of personal experiences though-

[@KaitLynnHt]

I LOVE this anime so much. It was so conflicting to watch... as the one who was bullied to the point of PTSD myself, I felt like Shoya and his anxiety around people is SO relatable.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

What i find more infuriating is that there are people who justify bullying as a "rite of passage" to face the hardship of the real world, without even bothering themselves to give the victim the means to fight off this social issue, simply because they don't care

[@KaitLynnHt]

@@veronicapiccinini7956 That's why I rarely call what happened to me "bullying". I call it peer abuse. It was, in essence, no different from any other child abuse, except that it was inflicted by my peers and the adults allowed it to happen at best, blamed me at worst. If I tell people I was bullied, they tell me to grow up.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

@@KaitLynnHt this is because they have never been bullying victim in their childhoods. They cant understand the victim's pain unless they don't get a real taste of it, or just goes on their shoes

[@al_vilsky]

@@veronicapiccinini7956 It is rite of passage, not for the victim though but for everyone around. Children learning how to survive in a society by observing someone who's failed. Of course, usually no one in that age has toolset to withstand or prevent bullying. So it is being developed by observing. Which is not making bullying good, for clarification. I'm not trying to make that kind of argument.

[@Pleplerhep]

I hear you Jason, the scar never really heals, and 2 day at an age of 42 i still feel its crippling effect.

[@ethren3344]

I have done some horrible things that made me want to end my life. There was even an attempt, in the past. This movie made me bawl. When you do wrong, your first responsibility is to do whatever you can to make up for it. Go to therapy, apologize, whatever it takes. But when you've done all that you can... you have to let go of that guilt, otherwise it will shackle and burden you forever. I had a lot of trouble trying to let go. Still do.

[@dourden77]

This movie broke me. No one has ever apologized nor recognized they mistreated me, and to see Shoya trying to redeem himself to Shouko was an emotional trip. As a victim of bulling in school (and even college), my conclusion is that bullies do this for 3 reasons: for fun, to empower themselves and to break the mirror that is the victim. They also believe that the people they abuse deserve to be abused. The bully does not sees himself/herself as a bully, but as a tool to punish the victim (because the victim deserves it) or a tool to wake up the victim, to teach the victim a lesson (but oh surprise, when the victim wakes up the bully does anything at his/her hand to take back his/her position of power over the victim). The abuse is justified projecting all the guilt and shame on the victim for being too fat, slim, tall, short, pretty, ugly, smart, stupid... it doesn't matter the what. The bully uses its victim as a mirror, and strikes it with all its hate, enjoying the process. And this is a drug. This is why so few bullies recognize what they are doing is wrong, and so many few even apologize.

[@internetbites]

I agree fully, and will add that I actually had one bully apologize ten years later. The others, though...

[@rovermakoto]

i would love a video on shoya’s redemption and the dynamic of the group (the bridge scene where he calls everyone else out is one of my favourites). thank you for your amazing content and beautiful cosplays!

[@GeorgiaDow]

reception is a good one to cover

[@KaitLynnHt]

I love that scene... It's so real

[@sakurap95]

“Assassination Classroom” is also a good manga and anime about bullying culture in Japanese schools and the importance of having a good teacher.

[@elbasurero3095]

I dont remember the bullying scene in assasination classroom

[@WhitneyDahlin]

‼️Bullying is ACCEPTED and even ENCOURAGED in japan. There's even a saying that everyone goes by, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." one of my friends grew up in Japan and she had dark brown hair instead of black hair and she was forced to dye her hair black in elementary school because she stood out. 🥺 I'm glad this anime came out but anime is so niche in Japan it's not going to make as much of a difference as something like this should.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

This is also the reason why the manga had an hard time to be published, because some jerks would rather fill the infamous "forest of suicides (sorry, i don't know its real name)" with more dead bodies than losing their pathetic faces to a uncomfortable Truth.

[@noel-nonbinaire974]

Hello! I totally agree, bullying in Japan is another level... Either encouraged, ignored or, if pointed out by the family of the victime, protected by the teachers to keep the reputation of the school safe. However, I went to university in Japan, and anime was not really a niche. Maybe it was before, but not anymore. Mangas that get to be animated can almost double their sales now. There is tones of animes tho (adaptations or not), so you're probably right, maybe it didn't stood out as much as it should have :/

[@Kat-qf7ov]

@@veronicapiccinini7956 bet they especially didn't like how it portrays the teachers being a big part of this problem

[@KaitLynnHt]

@@veronicapiccinini7956 Aokigahara (Sea of Trees)... I love that forest.

[@anastasiao4036]

This is what people in other places in America don't realize and need to learn. I've had people look at anime and manga and say "This is so unrealistic. Where's the teachers? Where's the parents?" They never realize not everything is like how it is in their country and that in other countries bullying is encouraged, normal, and not something the adults will stop because if risk of them being thought of as weak or weird themselves

[@obara7366]

In Nigerian primary schools, idk about presently, but back in the early 2000s, our teachers would make us sing a "shame song" whenever a teacher thinks someone messed up in an obviously "stupid" way. That child would stand up and the whole class would clap to the beat and shout "Shame, Shame, shame-shame-shame, SHAME!" And then the teacher would say "Again, Again" and it would repeat until the teacher thought it was enough. It was humiliating. And the cuxked up thing was you'd be glad to sing it for someone else, but hate when you're the victim. As a neurodivergent person, I got this all the time. Like the time I wrote down "Fanta and sprite" when we were asked to name mineral salts and my brain only took yhe "mineral" part. It's only in the last year as I've been studying in Ireland and receiving therapy (better than I ever had in canada) that I realise that the shame sing and experiences like that are cruel and traumatising. It's no winder I judge myself so harshly.

[@SomeoneD-r5t]

That sound harsh.. :( ik this was from a year ago but I'm in Ireland too :)))

[@KaitLynnHt]

I was really looking forward to hearing your take on the Shoya's attempts to make amends with Shoko and their concurrent suicidal ideations. I dunno... I guess a part of me wished that even one of my bullies felt as bad about how they treated me as they made me feel everyday for the rest of my life. One of my biggest seems to have no idea what she and everyone else did and keeps trying to befriend me on facebook like nothing happened.

[@GeorgiaDow]

he did really genuinely make amends and try very hard to be a better more kind person. If I do another video on it it will be on his reception arc

[@sighberspook2021]

I'd love to be able to apologize to the people I bullied in school but all my attempts to track them down failed, I can only hope they forgot about me and moved on a long time ago because they were never the problem and they don't deserve to suffer for my mistakes I'm not your bully but hopefully knowing that some bullies do regret their actions for the rest of their life and do want to make amends brings you some solace

[@KaitLynnHt]

@@sighberspook2021 Thank you. I know some bullies do, and I'd love to know any of mine did. I love character growth, whether in anime or in real life. If any of my bullies actually reached out to me to make amends, I'd allow that. But all these same people run the class reunion stuff and I never get invited, despite being in the group, and the girl I was talking about had been my best friend before Kindergarten and knew everything about me. I posted something about depression and anxiety and she literally replied, "What happened to you?"...... Like, are you kidding me?! Everyone always says that people "grow up" but then, between autism and anxiety, I still have a hard time with people, get yelled at and made fun of, but at least I'm not being beaten up all the time, there are consequences to that now as adults.

[@Teyl1]

​@@sighberspook2021 it doesn't.

[@sighberspook2021]

@@KaitLynnHt there's not much I can say, what happened to you is awful It would be great if they really could grow up and come forward to apologize but sadly some never reflect on their actions and if they do many can't admit they were in the wrong, I can't judge, I hold no moral high ground but you do and it says a lot that you'd rather they make amends than just hope to see them miserable as most would which is also a perfectly justified response just less forgiving

[@AJ-hq5jh]

I would love to see more content on the way Shoya was scapegoated. Naoka and Miki also bullied Shoko, but because they were more passive and more covert than Shoya, they got away with it. In my experience, this passive aggressive bullying is sometimes more damaging than more direct bullying because this type of bully rarely has to face the music. It also can be easier for teachers and other adults to call out more passive bullying, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. This goes along with the scene at the bridge where Shoya had to be the one to address not only his own actions but others’ actions to Shoko as well. Covert bullying can still be just as hurtful.

[@hellogoodbyeandallinbetween]

I think you have written 'easier' instead of 'more difficult ' in one of the sentences ☺️

[@evolutiondl1492]

Shimada is a character that doesn't get much attention but he was the reason Shoya went through everything he went through. He was a blessing and a curse. It was thanks to him that Shoya realise what he did as a kid to other kids was wrong. Shimada started bullying Shoya, encouraged other kids to bully Shoya and when Shoya would meet new people he would inform them to stay away from him because he's a bully. All that caused Shoya to become very insecure and even have him consider taking his own life which raises the question: Is it okay to bully the bully?

[@insomnist4124]

Could you touch on how Shoya's mom took responsibility and how that affected him? He was in so much turmoil at that point, I think Shoya seeing his mom get hurt in his place shocked him into focus in a way nothing else in the story might have done. A whole video on Shoko's mom would be amazing too. And the opportunity to share anything about how to "help" a bully, young or old. The moment you recommend somebody a movie "about bullying" it's like you're saying it's a purgatorial play that people should feel obligated to subject themselves to in order to acknowledge and share in the responsibility of a broad-reaching social ill. But A Silent Voice is anything but that. It's so hard to pitch but it's so good. I had tears just from what this video brought back and I'm not even used to the English VAs. Another movie by the same director is Liz and the Blue Bird.

[@tehilagrunebaum-lake6982]

I was a very shy kid in school and got picked on and left out a lot but I was always very empathetic of people and their needs. However because of that the other kids took advantage of that kindess and my willingness to help and to say it affected me would be an understatement. I am still kind to others now but I am very weary of people, and thats because I learned to be skeptical of others and their motives. It helped me not get hurt more when I was younger but it also left me more isolated because i was scared of letting people in. I am happy to report though I am going to therapy to work on those issues and now have a small but very close circle of good friends

[@paularonald8626]

Lexi Cowden (Shoko's English VA) is deaf and was interviewed for the special features of the home video release (and the interview was played after the film in the Fathom Events premiere)....and related how the bullying Shoko experiences was very relatable to her own experiences in her youth.

[@MrJerrytheSlime]

I related to Shoya in almost every way from childhood to high school. The regret and inability to get closure for the things I had done was crushing on myself. I hated myself so much and it didn’t get better for a long time. The ending really brought me to tears because it helped me realize that I COULD be better and that I am loved by those around me. This movie legitimately helped me understand myself more and that I’m not as bad as I think I am. I always recommend this movie to everyone that hasn’t seen it.

[@Piotr_J93]

I was really hasitant to watch this movie as I was a victim of bullying for a long time what resulted in me now having social anxiety (in my case talking to new people is so hard and even if I know the person I'm talking to I always start with "Ah..." but I have almost no problems writing communication). I'm 29 almost 30 and it still hurts thinking about it. It took me almost 4 hours to watch it, I had to pause it to calm myself (some painful flashbacks were awaken) but I wanted watch it to the end. I'm so happy that I managed to do it. Please do more videos discussing this movie. Also I can reccomend "Komi can't communicate" series a bit more lighthearted style but very important message, I can realte to Komi san so much.

[@orgixvi3]

This has got to be one of my favorite movies ever. I was never has bad as the main character, but I absolutely recognize some of those cycles of abuse when it comes to bullying. I live with a LOT of shame for things that I used to do. I often see it said online that the person you hate most is the person you used to be.

[@disodosid]

I was the Shoko in my school; language barriers and pacifism made me a great target. I remember as a freshman in high school my most dangerous childhood bully tried to apologize to me and i just pretended i had no idea who she even was. Part of me wants to kick myself for not just sitting and talking to her, but at the same time i know i wasn't done growing up and was still in a very vulnerable place; keeping the interaction brief was the best thing for my mental health at the time. If i had the opportunity today, as an adult, i would absolutely want to ask her why she felt the need to violently lash out at a literal child nearly half her size.

[@GRIZZLY-nw9gh]

THANK. YOU. SO. DAMN. MUCH. for talking about the bully's side! I've had this reflection for a long time that bullies were just people suffering or were trying to hide a weakness under a facade of domination. (I visualize it as, within the 3 Fs of threat response, the bully is in perpetual Fight Mode. «Hurt people hurt people») I've been trying to talk to others about this for a decade of my life, but they would go stiff and block on the idea that bullies are «evil incarnate» not deserving empathy or redemption. And FINALLY I witness you showing understanding to them!! This video proves to me even more that you are a godsend to us all.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Thank you for already seeing there there are more things to it than just being black and white Appreciate that and thank you for this comment

[@evasmiljanic3529]

Bullying is complex. I don't like talking about it, but I was someone that was both bullied in multiple areas of my life and also one of the bullies for another kid in school. It's uncomfortable to face that, and as an adult I'm ashamed of that, but as a kid I knew full well bullying the "acceptable target" meant throwing other bullies off my back.

[@genevieve.celestine]

And in the english manga with that one scene where the teacher announced that shouko left because of the bullying and everyone blamed shoya there is one scene where you can see him in a spotlight next to his table, in the movie the words are written in japanese and not translated in the movie but in the english manga you can see that he got a lot of death wishes from his own classmates because of the shouko incident and death wishes as a 10-12 year old can be taken very heavily

[@riotgamesbff3714]

id love hearing more about suicidality and guilt, it’s so present in this movie

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

Oh my gosh! I've waited for this to be actually covered by you. This is one of the few stories I'm not afraid nor shamed to cry. Thank you❤️ It's all fun and games until someone REALLY gets hurt.

[@CursedSniper]

I’m so happy you did this movie!!! Please do a video on redemption/guilt for silent voice related to it so much and would be so helpful. Thank you for all the helpful insight you give btw

[@GeorgiaDow]

Great suggestion!

[@skeletondream8375]

I resonate with this movie a lot, being half deaf I can kinda feel what shouko is going through and her Self-loathing on herself really speaker to me. Especially when she tried to end it that part really made me cry

[@seanmaertens8483]

I appreciate reading your perspective. A lot of people felt the movie was exploitive for reducing Shouko down to her disability so it is nice reading how relatable you found her character.

[@alexanderbeaton2128]

I like it for focusing on ableism, as I was subjected to it in middle school. It made me question "who were my real friends" for the rest of my time in secondary. I have genuine friends now; in my adult life. but, it's taken me a while to find them.

[@Wolven6]

This video was awesome. I had some similar baggage to Shoya from my teen years, and confronting it as he did definitely helped me move past it. I would love to see you delve into the topics you mentioned at the end for future videos. Self loathing, redemption, gaining confidence etc. That'd be great.

[@GeorgiaDow]

thanks for the suggestion

[@MKhan-zo8xo]

@@GeorgiaDow consider watching Kiznaiver for a show about empathy

[@brandtgill2601]

Silent voice is great. Honestly I'd watch any of those topics.

[@greedlike]

I've experienced this firsthand: The most important person, sometimes more important or equal to the parents, in a child's life is a teacher, especially from the grades 1 to about 10. A teacher can determine the emotional health of a child for the rest of their lives.

[@NoMustang273]

I am so glad you covered this film. I'd love to see you cover other parts of the film like Shouko and Shoya's guilt.

[@grimm516]

This is a really good insight into how bullying & people not interacting such an interacting visual perspective 👏. Love the cosplay 😍

[@sighberspook2021]

I really relate to Shoya in this movie (I wont go into detail because it's too personal and this is my 8th time rewriting this comment) and so I'd really love to see you do the videos on self loathing, guilt and redemption

[@GeorgiaDow]

I think if I do another on a silent voice that is what it will be on redeption and guilt. Thank you for sharing what you did especially as it was difficult for you. I hope you are healing as he is as well

[@FeedMeChaos1]

@@GeorgiaDow some are luckier than others. I still *hate* them. That won't ever change. Every one, doesn't matter where or who. Feels just as strong as it did back in school.

[@msmom1183]

Fawning is also a threat response.

[@efoxkitsune9493]

I'm so glad you're covering this movie! I would love to hear you talk about redemption and self-loathing/(self-)forgiveness. But also, I'd absolutely love it if you covered some of the other characters besides Shoya and Shoko! The dynamic is really interesting and there is a lot to examine about all of them, even though they have comparatively little screen time. They were a part of the bullying situation, yet they collectively scape-goated Shoya when it came out... but they're not innocent either, and it's so interesting to explore how they rationalize it and where they're coming from.. Like Kawai/Kimi (I believe that's her first name) and her self-image - how she sees herself as this good, kind person, and facing the fact that she took part in bullying someone would completely shatter her perception of herself, which would be very difficult and painful, so she "has to" be in complete denial about it in order to protect herself. Fascinating character. In some ways, she kind of reminds me of my younger self tbh... It would be great to see her analysed. Ueno too. It's a real shame that Shoya's former best friend who then becomes his biggest bully doesn't get more screen time, I would love to see his side and rationalizations. Thanks for the video!

[@kokorywood7134]

Okay but I love how she always matches her looks with the video

[@GeorgiaDow]

thx !

[@bryanholland6987]

Things changed drastically for me when I was a child getting bullied all the time to who I am now. I had gone from being terrified of bullies in school back in elementary school to being thrilled to find one by the time I was in 8th grade. When high school came around, I didn't really have any bullies anymore. Neither did any of my friends because I wouldn't allow it. I love bullies now! But the sad part about encountering bullies is that the older you get, the less of them you see. Eventually, there's nobody to hurt anymore. I respect the approach that you are providing, I just took a different approach and it worked for me very well. It also worked for all of my friends. And it worked for anybody that came to me that needed help. Bullies don't like pain. You don't have to appeal to their social structure in any way, shape, or form. You just have to let a bad person understand that touching a hot burner is going to hurt. Be the hot burner. You don't have to go the route of politics with these kids, just hurt the kid really really well. In fact, this one time, in Middle school, five of these kids jumped me and beat the ever living crap out of me. I promised them that I would find them all at some point. My only regret was that one of them moved to a different school before I could get to him. Whoever said that Revenge is bad, probably never had Revenge before. Revenge doesn't feel bad. You don't feel regret from revenge. Revenge is good! It teaches people lessons that their actions come with severe consequences especially if their actions in and of themselves, are severe. It's good for you! Don't be selfish with these actions either! Many of your friends in school might need your help. Don't just do it for yourself. Do it for everyone around you. There doesn't need to be bullies in schools. It's never good to just let bad things happen and allow the feelings to build up inside you without doing something about it. The longer you hold that negative energy in, the more prone you are to do something terrible later. It's best to react soon, as quickly as possible, don't let them get away with it, show them where you stand, and it doesn't have to be in front of anybody else. The key is not to be a bully so don't cross that line or else people will be coming for you. Let them know it's personal. Keep it personal. When word gets around it hurts to bully you, your friends,or anyone in your vicinity, they will either learn or they will find another school. If their parents aren't complaining about you to the School faculty, you aren't doing it right. I might not run into bullies anymore as an adult, however, the same morals, I take with me. It protects people from sexual harassment, and other such things in my personal life and in the workplace. For example, stopping things in their tracks- someone starts talking about one of your employees as a sexual object. Let them know that it's not okay to talk like that and ask them why they thought it was okay to do that around you? Put people in their place right away. You don't have to deal with that, your friends, your employees, even strangers around you, don't need to put up with that. Be that guy! As for your bosses acting like that, they don't get any special treatment either. You don't have to tell them directly that you're not going to put up with it, but through your actions and the way that you present yourself, you can let them know that you're not that type of person right away by letting them know that you are not okay with the situation before it even gets to that point of no return. When you start feeling uncomfortable, that's when you step up. Don't wait till after. If your boss has a problem with it, stand up. You might lose your job but you get to keep your dignity

[@SchoolVideosGoHere]

I enjoyed the video and the topic! One thing I'd say is the video could touch more on the group dynamics. It's more obvious in the manga than movie, but it wasn't just Shoya bullying Shoko - the entire class was silently (and not so silently) complicit, including the teacher. This doesn't resolve Shoya of his responsibility for bullying Shoko, but the same people who called him out were already badmouthing Shoko, complaining they couldn't go to the choir competition because of her, and excluding her in other ways long before Shoya escalated his bullying. (It was a major motivation for him to amp up his bullying - he saw how much everyone was annoyed by her and how much they enjoyed him "punishing" her). It'd be great to hear more about social isolation (e.g. what Shoko experiences, then later what happens to Shoya, then even again Shoya as a teen once his past bullying is revealed).

[@noel-nonbinaire974]

First of all: thank you for your videos. I usually don't comment (my english is not that great in writing), but I love them. I would love to see a video about sucide thoughts and/or self-loathing. I would like to understand better how all that works, from both perspectives.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Thanks for the ideas and your english is wonderful!

[@Orphic_brabble]

I would love a video focusing on Shoko's sister! Yuzuru's charater is so relatable to me and a lot of other people who have siblings with disabilities or mental health issues. An analysis on her would be really interesting to watch, especially considering that she's hardly ever talked about

[@mangantasy289]

This movie is such a gem. But it is hard too to watch too, very relatable and touched me deeply. I cried a lot watching it, given that it has SO MANY triggers for me, because I have been a victim of bullying almost all of my school years. I have several mental health problems, and the bullying might be one piece of the big, messy puzzle. But as someone who always tries to look behind the reason for people's behaviour, and dealing with anxiety issues (partly around people too) I can relate to Shoya as well, and feel for him too.

[@TerraExodus]

I like my bullies. They made me more resilient and helped create me into a person who can shrug it off. Plus, it is nice watching them screw their life up.

[@theprecipiceofreason]

You can be a good person and fight back. When I was a child I never lost a physical altercation with a bully and always put them down pretty easily. I loved it when they would turn to voilence as I am apparently a natural at that. It's the other kind of bullying that got me bad, as I don't like to hurt people's feelings, just their bodies. Took me a long time to learn how to talk back. Too long.

[@Clindian]

I'd like to see a video on redemption. What does it look like when you successfully redeem yourself? When Yuzuru asked "if you're just trying to make yourself feel better, you might as well leave" it really got me thinking what it looks like from the outside. Surely, it makes sense for him to apologize to Shouko and for him to do it for himself. Great video! I found you on nebula and had to comment.

[@lillithslair9904]

I was (& still am) very petite. I was also an avid Girl Scout until 18, a sci-fi/fantasy book worm and would rather be playing D&D and studying plants, fungi, and ancient cultures than hanging out with those I went to high school with. I once actually had a group of cheer leaders *attempt to put me in a trash can (I am feistier than I look!). My mom would say "builds character". I learned to play it off like they were the ones with a problem. "Haha, look at you selling cookies in your stupid uniform!". I would just reply: "and Proud of it! I am going to spend the Summer in Europe off of my cookie sales, what do you have planned this Summer?" Of course now I get compliments on my cosplay and build my own world online in computer animation, and I still play D&D with my friends. :D

[@Luckydounut]

This movie reminds of my childhood memories And Damm this movie is really beautiful and 😔

[@Nevermore093]

So glad you did this movie. One of my top favorites, it came out during Your Name's release and was largely under the radar that time, even though I think it's the much better movie.

[@noirgatherer]

An aspect of the story from the manga that didn’t come through in the film is that a lot of the bullying that Shoya received after Shoko left (including the teacher) was because the whole class had rejected her and was cold to her, by turning on her most visible bully it made the teachers and classmates feel they weren’t responsible and in return must mean they weren’t bad people. The bullying of Shoya was an attempt to ease their guilt and complicity.

[@tomburns7544]

Thank you for being so eloquent in explaining how good this film is. You do this with all of your videos but A Silent Voice was a pretty complex film and you did a really good job with a lot of the powerful-yet-subtly done issues. I always learn so much!! Since you asked, I would love to hear your take on self-loathing and suicidality in this film (and in other films, too). Thank you!

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

This was very heavy to watch personaly. Reminds me of my childhood which I dearly try to avoid it because it was hell for me. I'm happy that I am free now from that and living a peaceful life but back then, I was the center of all garbage. Not as a bully but as a victim. No one could see me. I was invisible, so were people around me in my eyes. I had no one but my self.... Don't want to go deeper than that.

[@sagemaster1357]

Great video. I would also like to talk about the real bad person of this story and it's not Naoka or Shouya. It's actually Miki Kawai because she was apart of the bulling and she could have easily stopped Shouya. He even told everyone how she didn't do anything and laughed along with her friends but Miki started crying and acting like the victim. Even in high school she still plays that role. Miki deliberately told everyone in class about how Shouya bullied someone and that made his anxiety worse because now everyone will see him as the bad person. She even started crying (again) just like when Shouya pointed out that she was also involved of the bulling and her friendly image felt threatened, so she resulted to crying and playing the victim card. I would really love your insight to her character.

[@bongajacobs7144]

This is my favorite film being broken down by my favorite KZbinr, genuinely so happy to see this today.

[@GeorgiaDow]

happy you enjoyed it

[@riotgamesbff3714]

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME!! ❤️ i’ve loved this movie for so so long, im so happy you are reviewing it!!!!

[@GeorgiaDow]

Happy you enjoyed it I wanted to do something that may be smaller but so many have asked for

[@VtotheKelley]

I would really love to see you talk about the self loathing aspect of the story, as it’s portrayed so visually in the X’s over everyone else’s faces. I really appreciate that you’ve brought your insights to this film-it’s one of my favorite anime films in recent years.

[@ramenboy9199]

My favorite film of all time and favorite book of all time makes me cry every time

[@obara7366]

Omg! I love this series so much! I read the manga from its pilot, and kept up with it until completion. I even bought the box set, and when I worked in a shelter I connected to a fellow anime fan and we also bonded on depression and I let her borrow some of the volumes. I think A Silent Voice is a story that deserves to be shared with as many people as possible. It's also a great story of redemption and that you can ivercome mistakes and grow, especially if you did awful things as a dumb child.

[@terezasmejkalova4758]

I would also love a video about Shoko's forgiveness and also suicidal tendencies. I actually stuggled to understand why she did what she did and why in that specific time after finally having someone she cares about and after they went to the festival together (and also if it was because of guilt).

[@shisokudo]

I would actually love a look at redemption. I've got a story I'm working on that features redemption as a major theme, and a therapist's perspective would be of phenomenal help!

[@PhoenixL0vee]

This is a great movie to analyze imo. The best thing is shoya’s growth and journey throughout the movie. I would love a video specifically on him, everything you think about his character and the long way he had done.

[@anarys_an]

I think it'd be good for you to bring up a topic of protectiveness. In this movie, the family of a person who fell victim to bullying had really hard time with accepting remorse and change of the person guilty of bullying. So, the ideas that we bear about our responsibility for those who are close to us is what is important to me. I love your channel and learn a lot from this accessible and educational content❤

[@mrraow7491]

I'd love to see a video on forgiveness -something I struggle with a lot myself

[@FoNgThOnG]

It's only Tuesday and Georgia is hitting us in the feels with A Silent Voice.

[@satanicpanic9855]

Finally! I've been waiting for you to cover this one for ages! Thank you! I must have watched this far too many times now!

[@jackvue722]

I read the manga before watching the movie and I ended up preferring the movie over the manga. It's been a while since I've read through the manga so I might miss some things. One of the differences that I preferred in the movie over the manga was the reasoning behind the bullying. In the manga he bullies her out of boredom. Seeing her as alien and a "boss" for him to over come. The movie does it differently with him bullying as a response to what's happening to his friends. This movie does a lot of showing and not telling. If you pay attention to his eyes you will notice that Ishida is observant of what happening to his friends and bullies in response. For this reason, when his friends betray him and start bullying him, it hurts a lot more and has much more of an impact in the movie. One scene that a lot of people hated was the confession scene. I loved it because it was the most important scene in the movie, not for romantic reasons but for character development reasons. Despite Ishida taking sign language classes and trying to be a better person, he still can't understand her. Nothing has changed. Nishimiya loves Ishida. She blames herself for everything that has happened to Ishida. Living everyday believing that she was the reason that Ishida will never be happy. She chose to end her own life in order to bring him happiness. This is best seen when they are hanging out during the summer. Ishida is putting on a fake a smile to pretend to be happy, but can't that he's hurting Nishimiya. Nishimiya can see through Ishida's fake smile, and blames herself for it. I know that a lot of people didn't like how they removed the movie subplot. I''m glad they did. Instead of the movie bringing the friends back together, it is Nishimiya. Believing she is the reason for what happened, she takes the necessary steps to right her wrongs. Taking true responsibility instead of just apologizing to get things over with. Even though Ueno is a bitch, she's not wrong about Nishimiya. With a story like this I should feel invested in the main characters and their journey. Instead, with the manga I ended up caring more about his relationships then him as a person. For this reason I don't care much that the side stories and the romance is left out. There are some scenes that I wish were more accurate to the manga, and wish that some scenes/dialogue added.

[@robert_bbiii]

There is so much, as you say, you can do with this wonderful story. One thing to add to your list is scapegoating and ignoring our own behavior. They all turned on Shoya but ignore their own behavior. Many of them were no better. I think the whole story can be summed up in the phrase you never know what someone is going through. As someone who was bullied as a kid and teen I have met some of my bullies years later. On two occasions they both apologized. I accepted it as it was so long ago. After they left I turned to my friends and told them truthfully I had no idea who the person was. Must have had more of an effect on the, than me. I

[@julienserriere2395]

I would like your take on absolutly everything in this movie! It's so good but also so sad... It moved me and brought me to tears. I felt connected to both of them in a lot of ways.

[@mrush007]

I will be honest I needed Therapy after watching this movie so I am glad you are going over this.

[@James_Smith862]

I know I've commented this before, but I absolutely LOVE the work you put into your videos. From the outfits to the commentary, it's just fantastic.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Glad you like them! thank you = )

[@lost8861]

Pleasee do another video on this, it has so much potential and you're really good at explaining really complex things, keep it up!

[@Staring_at_Walls]

This movie has been very special to me since I first seen it half a decade ago. I heavily related to Shouko's self-hatred/self-destructive behavior and Shouya's isolation/journey towards self-acceptance. The cinematography used in the film to depict Shouya's anxiety was amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't given it a chance.

[@wesleyfreeman5918]

i really love this movie. it really gets how it feels to have social anxiety in school. and how it feels to have a disability of some sort. i really feel for most of the characters in this movie.

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

I'd love a whole series of videos on this movie. It's awesome! Very relatable, and that kind of hurts a little, but awesome.

[@MusicNonStap]

I recommend you take a look at Fruits Basket anime, it’s a great series that touches on many difficult topics but most importantly it shows the ups and downs of trying to let go of this traumas and allowing yourself to be happy again!

[@msmom1183]

I heard about an experiment with rats in electrified cages. Something like the rat that attacked the other one lived longer than the rat that was alone in another cage.

[@FallenPasha]

Nice video, a little shorter than I hoped, and that's a compliment because I would love to listen this for an hour on every topic you asked about at the end. Good stuff!

[@Zarroc1733]

Guilt, self loathing, and suicidality are all topics I would love to see videos on in the future!

[@matcha_zuki5597]

Thank you so much for making this video and bringing awareness to how people can be bullies to someone for no good reason. I have been bullied sinxe i was a child for my disabilities and even today been told I deserve to be isolated and called a menace and saying I can't use the grief of my partners death last year as an excuse for being emotionally distant. I am told it's impossible for people to bully someone without a genuine reason to hate them, what I been told my whole life and I deserve hate and everything that has happened to me. It has made me s*icidal many times and when my bullies found out they went to my Facebook and commented I should of used more ***** to OD and calling me stupid for doing u wrong... I hope one day I can have social connection network

[@manakakisaragi9121]

Fantastic pick to go over this movie, it's so interesting in so many fronts. Would love to see you going over more aspects of it.

[@ianlewis3269]

This is one of my favorite movies ever and it hits me so hard as a bullying victim as a child. I have been waiting and hoping for this since I found your channel. Hope you do more on it in the future.

[@ethren3344]

I would love to see you do a video on how hard it can be to let go of guilt for something you've done

[@markuzbarlan]

Please do Ginny & Georgia! The second season’s amazing and made me tear up a few times.

[@TheApoke]

Great analysis, thanks for using the dub because dubs are cool

[@jackransom.]

This flick had an emotional impact on me. Watched it several times in both dubbed and Japanese versions. Was never a bully, but wasn't the nicest kid : (. Learned that there was a difference between ASL and every other country's signing. Inspired me to learn.

[@quickredf0x143]

Shoya having Xs on people's faces caused me to love this film. I have Aspergers and avoid eye contact and have found that I tend to struggle in remembering faces unless I have spent a large amount of time around the person. That moment at the end when he finally looks up and sees people's faces for the first time in years and the Xs fall away never fails to make me tear up even when just thinking about it. I would love to see more videos on this film because it is one of my all-time favorites.

[@earthchild236]

This movie really made a huge impact on my life. I first watched it when I was in highschool and the representation of depression and bullying/the consequences of it really helped me feel seen. I can vividly remember sobbing my eyes out when I first watched it, I wasn't able to stop watching it either. It helped me to know what that what I was feeling was valid, as someone who's been a victim of not only bullying from my peers, but from my own family. It touched on topics that a lot of anime/manga is too afraid to touch on. Not just bullying and depression, but suicide as well. At the time that I watched this for the first time, I was struggling with all of these things, being ostracized by my peers, being bullied by family members and others, struggling with my own self hatred and anxiety. I can't begin to count how many mental breakdowns I would experience in the course of a week, much less a month. I tried to take my life several times, but would always panic and back out last second. Which was why I related to Shoko so much, but in a sense, Shoya too. I can vaguely remember saying and doing some things towards other people that I regret when I was younger but unfortunately my family moved too much for me to get that chance to go back and apologize. But now that I'm older and maybe not completely better, I can comfortably say that I'm working on it and have made so much progress. I think everybody deserves a chance at redemption if they chose to, and I'm so glad that other people were touched by this movie, just as I was. Thank Miss Georgia for your incredible advice and for these videos, I know they've helped me as well as a lot of other people. And if I can leave you all with one thing, I'd say that despite everything you've been through, despite all the hardships and the people who tried to push you down into the water, despite you own self hatred and troubled mental state... You've gotten through it. You've worked hard and you pushed forward despite what people have said or done to you. You've gotten through 100% of all the hardships you've been put through so far, and even if it doesn't seem like it's worth it, like there's not a single person who cares or will miss you, I promise you that there is. Even if you don't know them now, you'll know them in the future, and if you were to go now, that's depriving all of the people who would know you the chance to love you. Besides, if there are people who are praying for your downfall or telling you to go kill yourself, just think of it as a challenge. They think that if they say it enough you'll do it, but because you're strong and powerful, you're going to continue to stand up for yourself and continue to be kind, that'll grind their gears and make them realize just how hurtful they are being. Remember: hurt people hurt people. Just keep going and stay strong, you can do this, I know you can. If I can do it, so can you. I believe in you, and so do so many people. Now, go drink some water, eat something, and kick some major ass by just being the kindest and best version of yourself that you can possibly be. Do it for yourself, my friend. Sorry this was so long, lol

[@clampdown1134]

This movie has so much to analyse... You asked what we'd like to see, then perhaps not just the suicidal feelings of both the lead characters at different points, but how they can also be drawn to each other despite those crushing and awful feelings? I hope that makes sense. Thank you for another considerate, kind and passionate video!

[@Joodstudios]

Shoya reminds me of myself, everyone thought I was wierd, I was stressed and my friend always called me annoying, I ended up lashing out at that friend and saying realy mean things, I immediately said sorry after and she didn't forgive me people avoided me too. Stuff is way better now and I changed, everyone forgave me except for the friend I lashed out at, I know I changed but she won't let me forget what I did and I still feel like a jerk sometimes, I did almost kms like shoya too.

[@chelbanna]

I really want you to dissect the scene where Shoya lashes out at all of his friends. Was he pushing them away out of fear, or was he calling out the elephants in the room, since he was the only person who got to experience the ostracism of being labeled a bully when the other individuals had also bullied Shoko / allowed it to persist. I think that scene is really juicy and there's so much going on.

[@Zarroc1733]

Love that you did a video on this movie. This is my single favorite movie of all time!

[@pearl5016]

Please talk about the themes of silence and voice. The pressure of certain self expressions as more "valid" or socially accepted or normalized or expected than other forms for expressing the same thing.

[@dudarafa-]

OMG, I loved this anime film, it was so heartbreaking and warming at the same time. I even read the manga after because I heard they cut a lot of stuff, and it was true, there is so much more to see. In the end, in the manga, there is a great plot twist. If you are interested, go read it, or just the last chapter. I am not going to tell it here to not spoil it. I would love to hear the analysis of the growth from both characters during the plot.

[@berrynickt.2586]

i would LOVE to see you talk about this movie more :) i love your videos so much. i watched a silent voice long ago, wasn’t really in a good place mentally and didn’t actually understand it. it felt really cruel to me. and like it was about Shoya being a bad person but still always being forgiven. It’s interesting to me how i didn’t even remember that he actually got bullied himself after. and that the redemption was actually not bad. the way you talked about it made me want to rewatch it haha.

[@SalamiMilk]

As an adult who experienced bullying throughout my entire school life, I learned a couple of things, and realized some things I was right and wrong about. I knew no matter what I did, or how hard I tried, I could never really be, normal. Or fit in. But, that helped me ignore peer pressure. It made me realize to never be a follower. Not saying you have to be a leader, but don't be a sheep who blindly follows others. Do what you believe is right. Eventually, there will be people who will understand that, and you will find your group. Kids either attack those different either because someone is bullying them at home, peer pressure, or the most common, it's funny to them because they are bored. They get some enjoyment from seeing others in pain, because they want a different reaction to see. Kids have no sense of empathy, morality, or what's right and wrong, unless you've felt that kind of pain or someone to guide you. So, when I saw the Silent Voice, it conflicted with my viewpoints. He ended up realizing that he made a grave mistake, so he had to be punished. But he can't find peace with his past, so he believes if he can find forgiveness and forgive himself, he will find peace. That conflicts with me in 2 ways. He wants to be forgiven, not for her, but for himself. It's up to her if she gives him that satisfaction. But she doesn't have to. Yet, she did, and I just think she has a bigger heart than me. Because I can't forgive what has happened to me. People tell me you have to, because your heart gets heavy and will continue to hurt you. But, I can't, simply because when I needed a friend, and when I gave others my trust and loyalty only for them to backstabbed me in the end, where was their kindness towards me? Where was their trust, their loyalty, when I have given it to them, why did they tossed it aside? Where were they when I needed saving? Where was my mercy? And you expect me to forget that, just so you can find peace with your demons? No. It was your mistake, and now you're gonna have to live with it. The second way is that he actually wants to grow and improve. That he feels bad for what he's done. But that's because of his punishments. I guarantee you that if he still had friends, he would feel no remorse. I bet you everyone else will go through life, completely forgetting every human they hurt, and live their life as if they were a good person all along. But we still carry those wounds. People can change, yes. They know what the right path is, without exception. But more times than not, they never take it. Why? The right choice is always the harder choice. I really want to move on and forget. I really do. But everytime I think I'm free, I realize, those seeds don't come off very easily. The seeds stick to your heart. It's really tiring and exhausting to be bitter and hateful, and I'm sick of feeling like this. I'm sick that I can't trust others, even when I know I can and they proved it to me multiple times. I'm sick of these negative thoughts affecting me and those around me. I'm sick of hating myself and calling myself a reject. But I'm not giving up. Not now. Not ever. No matter how heavy my heart is. No matter what life throws at me, I can take it, I have to. I'm still here, and I still stand. The reason why is irrelevant, that will come later. If I was destined to fall and fail, it would've happened a long time ago. Because there are a few people out there I care about. And if I give up, everything they've done would have been a waste. While the world shown me pain, there were the few who were always there, and still there for me. It's a silly reason, but my soul only exists to protect the happiness of those I love and love me.

[@eonuzex]

I loved this manga. As someone with major depressive disorder, Social anxiety, panic attacks, somatic symptom disorder,, and ADHD (waiting on diagnosis) who also went through severe bullying while I was a kid. I really connected with this film, in what it is teaching. At the time it was just confusing and frustrating to me. Later now I don't have any resentment towards it as kids just don't know better sometimes. I don't ever resent what they did though now, even though a lot of my mental health problems can be linked to it. That's the thing that kid's and some grownups don't understand. The long term effects that will persist for the rest of your life. It never really goes away, but you learn to understand it, accept it and do the best you can. And this isn't just for the one being builied but also the bully as we see in the film. There really needs to be better effort in parents raising their kid and schools putting more resources into stopping it. Kid's are still developing and it puts them at an elevated risk to developing mental problems later in life. As for others I'd like to see.... Welcome to the NHK and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU are really good ones too.

[@roselover411]

I'd like to see you further explore the way Shouya interprets X's on everyone's faces except for Shouko as he grows older. I feel like there's a lot of exploration to be done on that.

[@briargray2355]

I would like if you talked a bit more on the social connection element, how the "stickers" come to fall off of people's faces and his struggle to connect with people again after having shut himself away.

[@MrBern-ex3wq]

As a former victim of bullying, watching this anime with my friends and it helped me realize that I still haven't forgiven bullies even after all these years. And I don't mean MY bullies, but bullies in general. People who are bullies in the present, not who were in the past. It was a strange movie to watch for me, because I felt sympathy and compassion for the bully after he grew up, while at the same time feeling resentment and hatred. I wanted Shoya to grow and be better, and at the same time I wanted him to suffer and drown in his guilt for everything he did. I loved seeing him strive to be better, while at the same time thinking things like "how _dare_ you feel sorry for yourself, you miserable wretch?!" There was an old, OLD hatred waking up and coming to the surface throughout the whole movie, and yet I was STILL rooting for him to be better. By the time the movie was over I had calmed down. I could actually forgive him for being who he was, only because who he chose to _become_ was better, and because he did everything to make amends. It taught me to accept that bullies are people too, and _even then_ the smallest remaining mote of hurt and resentment HATED that I had come to this conclusion. It wanted to spite and hate forever. I'm doing better now, this was a while ago. I STILL don't tolerate people who are bullies, they are still in the wrong, but I can't feel that they are pure evil anymore. That just goes to show how transformative this movie can be.

[@cosminsava1151]

I was bullied (i have gave money to those who hurt me to leave me alone) at my young ages and since then i never developed a good impresion about myself, if something go bad or if a discussion goes bad between me and someone else, I am the first who apologize, in my head it's always because of me. I found myself in many topics of this video, like that one when im not respected, I was always ready to help others and sayed YES to everything and i was in position when i was passed over for raises and YES, I am too NICE! And i try to be a part of a group, but because i have nothing interesting to say i am quiet, and in my head i have all the negative words that has been said to me, and im not confronting because i am afraid to remain alone. For the next video i would like about self loathing and suicidality. Thank you!

[@tristannewflow]

Thank you very much for this episode ❤️

[@kingdomkey63]

Could you talk about child suicide in regards to this movie since it is a major part of the movie